Lifeline
by Elizabeth Robbins
Summary: Logan's thoughts about a certain firecracker. Not a WolvieJubes romance. Please read and review.


Disclaimers: The X-Men and Jubilation Lee are the property of Marvel Comics and are being used without permission. I am not making any money from their use.

Lifeline: Logan's thoughts about a certain firecracker.

No one really understand what she means to me. Most people think she's kinda like a daughter. Others think she's my best friend. A lot of them think she's just my partner in crime. They all know I love her and would kill fer her but that ain't the half of it.

Her name is Jubilation Lee. She an eighteen year old former mall rat and a walking 'tude. She's got bigger balls than I do. She's faced some of the biggest bad asses in the world and with a snap of her gum, bowled them over. It ain't just her 'tude. The kid has moves that could put a ninja ta shame and a mutant power that, if anyone bothered ta really look at it, could probably take out the planet.

She can do some totally outrageous things, especially if Drake is involved. I remember waking up one morning shaved as bald as Chuck. I didn't know whether to laugh or beat the crap outta her. I knew she did it. She's the only one who can come into my room and not wake me up. I'm so used ta her scent close ta me that she can just walk in and climb into my bed without waking me. That, in itself, is something of a major miracle. I can count on one hand the number people I trust enough ta stand behind me and there's only one person I trust enough ta sleep in front of.

Don't get me wrong, I trust the brat but she can also drive me up a wall. Jubes can talk like no one else. I swear she was vaccinated with a phonograph needle. Most people don't have the patience ta listen ta her so they tune her out. The strange thing is that, if ya listen, she can come up with really interestin' things. She's one of the most observant kids I ever met. I guess livin' on the streets fer three years taught her to see things most people ignore. Even better than that, she can glance at a situation and come up with a workable plan faster than Summers. She has the makin's ta be one hell of a leader.

Listenin' ta me, you'd think she's a happy go lucky girl who don't have a care in the world. Ya couldn't be more wrong. Jubes has been through so much shit that I wonder how she keeps her sanity. She's been kidnapped so many times it's like she has a tattoo that says 'I'm valuable. Take me'. The strange thing is that in all the times she's been grabbed, I've only rescued her a couple of times. She usually gets herself out without too much trouble.

There was a couple of times where what happened ta her nearly killed me. The first was when she was kidnapped by Bastian. She was missin' fer a month and no one knew it. I'm still kickin' myself fer that. I shoulda known. She got herself out but not before a lot of real bad shit went down. When I found her in the desert, she was twenty pounds too light and covered with cuts and bruises. Even worse, the bastards had hurt her in the worse way you can hurt a woman.. She don't know that I know this. She won't talk about what happened and I ain't gonna push her. Just know this: I have the scent of every man who was near her durin' that time and if I ever come across one, he's dead. It won't be quick and merciful 'cause they didn't show her any mercy. I'm gonna take a month ta do it and make it as painful as I can. Maybe then I can forgive myself fer what happened.

The second time was not too long ago. She'd moved ta Los Angeles with her friend, Angelo, tryin' ta have somethin' close to a normal life. I can't blame her. Her life ain't been anything close ta normal. I tried ta keep in touch with her but a lot of crap went down durin' that time. She wasn't gone six months and we found her and Angelo crucified on the front lawn.

It was the closest I ever came ta throwin' up in front of anyone.

I couldn't believe how bad I screwed up this time. She coulda died and it woulda been my fault. She survived, thanks ta Wings. Angelo didn't. I stayed by her bed while she recovered.. I couldn't take the chance somethin' else would happen. I even refused a few missions until I was sure she was going to be okay. After that, it was payback time. No one hurts my girl without answerin' ta me.

Listen ta me! Ya'd think I spent all my time pullin' her butt outta the fire. Nothin' could be farther from the truth. The first time I met her, she was savin' _my_ ass. I'd gotten myself crucified by a pack of Reavers in Australia and she'd followed the women through one of Gateway's portals from LA. She helped me down from the cross and hid me until I was healed. There was somethin' about the kid that made me keep her close. Even now, I ain't sure what it is about her that makes me like her. Hell! I love the brat and when I look back, I've loved her from the very beginning. She's a kindred soul. She understands me. She touches me in places no one else can reach.

Jubilee is a lot of things. She's a former Southern California mall rat who ended up living in luxury in New York with some of the most powerful mutants in the world. She's one hell of an in-line skater and a world class gymnast. She's got more guts than anyone I've ever known. In the five years I've known her, I've never seen her back down from a fight. She keeps me goin' when I really want ta lay down and give up. When Mariko died, I wanted to die with her. Jubilee pulled me back and gave me a reason ta live. When I lost my Adamantium and my humanity along with it, she made me see that I was still Logan, metal or no metal. She's never doubted me; not once.

I've hurt her more time than I can count. Every time I left her, I broke her heart. When I'd come home, she would be there to give me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and once again, I would be whole.

Jubilee isn't my daughter or just my partner. She's so much more than that. She's my best friend. She's my conscience. She's my heart and soul. She's the only one who can reach me when I've gone feral. I love her more than anyone else in the world. She's my reason fer livin'. She's my lifeline.


End file.
